Disorders in the spine can be latent for a long time. Early diagnosis increases the chances of a full recovery.
Treatment requires attention to your health and patience. Knowing the nature of ridge problems will help prevent many of them from occurring.
What does spinal dorsopathy mean?
Diseases of the spine that combine possible disorders in all types of tissues: bone, nerve, connective, blood vessels and muscles are called dorsopathy.
In other words, experts have designated back diseases that affect the ridge and adjacent areas with this definition.
Dorsopathy expresses itself as painful manifestations in the back and limbs, restrictions on freedom of movement in certain areas of the ridge. These manifestations are not associated with pathologies of the patient’s internal organs.
Classification
The variety of pathologies united by the name dorsopathy, in accordance with international standards, is divided into three main groups.
- Spondylopathies are disorders caused by trauma and inflammation.
- Deforming dorsopathies are back problems associated with spinal deformities. This group excludes cases of destructive phenomena in the discs of the spine, such as hernia, protrusion. The group includes diseases
- Scoliosis is a lateral curvature of the ridge.
- Changes in the discs of a dystrophic nature, osteochondrosis.
- Lordosis is an excessive bend of the ridge with a bulge forward.
- Spondylolisthesis is a violation of the natural location of the vertebrae relative to each other.
- Kyphosis is a curvature of the ridge in the thoracic zone.
- Subluxation.
- Other dorsopathies are degenerative processes in the discs and their consequences: protrusions, hernias.
The distinction of dorsopathies by classes does not have clear boundaries, the types of diseases can be combined with each other, while initiating each other. So, displacement of the disc or vertebrae can provoke a hernia of the spine. Infectious diseases or injuries often lead to this problem.
Dorsopathy is also classified according to how badly the spine is damaged:
- Polysegmental dorsopathy – if the lesion covers in different parts of the ridge from several vertebrae to their entire number.
- Common dorsopathy – refers to a disease of the spine within one zone and covering several vertebrae.
- Limited dorsopathy – the problem is indicated within no more than two vertebrae of the ridge.
Localization
On this basis, dorsopathy is distinguished – which zone it affected:
- cervical dorsopathy,
- the same lumbar spine,
- dorsopathy of the thoracic zone.
Symptoms of pain
Dorsopathy can be identified by the presence of symptoms:
- The appearance of pain of a sharp nature, which intensifies when turning, which leads to a forced limitation of mobility in the area of the spine affected by the lesion.
- Pain in a specific area of the spine where the violation occurred, pulling or shooting. When lifting weights, painful sensations intensify, and during rest in a supine position, they weaken.
- The appearance in the limbs of muscle weakness.
- Myotonic syndrome is the appearance of a tense painful roller in the back muscle.
- Tingling sensation in the limbs. The manifestation of numbness and aches is possible.
- The muscles in your arms or legs become thinner. The skin on the feet or hands becomes dry.
With dorsopathy, the following types of pain are encountered:
- Radicular – pain increases when tension occurs, for example: sneezing or coughing. The nature of the pain is aching, there may be lumbago. When moving, the pain is aggravated.
- Local – pains are felt at the site of the ridge lesion, are permanent. Pain can change its manifestations from a change in body position.
- Arising from muscle spasm – this type of pain can be associated with osteochondrosis or have a cause of another nature.
- Projection – similar to local pain, but their manifestation occurs along the affected nerve.
Pain in each area of the spine has its own characteristic features:
- In the lumbar region – from this area, painful manifestations are given to the sacrum, are felt in the organs located in the small pelvis and in the extremities.
- In the thoracic region – pain in this zone and in the region of the heart.
- In the cervical spine – headaches, pain in the upper extremities is possible. There are spots before the eyes, flashing flies, dizziness. Complications of cervical dorsopathy include vertebral artery syndrome, in which there is a throbbing headache, noise in the head.
The reasons
Factors that contribute to the appearance of back problems called dorsopathy:
- Ignorance of the culture of spine health:
- Correct lifting of weights with a straight back, if necessary, bend the knees.
- Even distribution of the load in the hands.
- You should not make sudden movements of the spine from an inclined position.
- Professional features:
- sedentary work,
- prolonged stay in frozen poses,
- excessive stress on the spinal column.
- A person’s weight significantly exceeding the norm.
- Hypodynamia,
- back injuries
- violation of metabolic processes,
- genetic predisposition to spine disease,
- poor or unbalanced diet.
- The presence of diseases: oncology, tuberculosis, syphilis.
Disorders in the cervicothoracic region
Health disorders associated with diseases of the spine are called vertebral dorsopathy. In the cervical spine, dorsopathy occurs in every third case of diseases. The neck is the most mobile part of the spine, and the arteries that feed the brain pass through it.
Violations in this area can have serious consequences. In world practice, diseases of the cervical spine are called cervical dorsopathy. Pain occurs when the nerve fibers are clamped as a result of displacement of disks or vertebrae, the appearance of hernias or protrusions.
The following symptoms are possible:
- increased fatigue,
- dizziness
- pressure instability,
- circulatory disorders of the brain,
- staggering when walking,
- restriction in neck movements,
- pain in one or both arms, shoulder.
With thoracic dorsopathy, the following manifestations are possible:
- heart-like pain
- back muscle tension,
- shallow breathing due to pain
- sharp chest pains
- feeling of numbness in some areas in the chest area.
Lumbosacral pathology
Due to the physiological characteristics of the lumbar zone, spinal health disorders in this area occur most often. The movable part of the spine, the center of gravity of the body, which takes on all the loads, has the largest vertebrae.
Metabolic disorders or trauma lead to degenerative processes in the discs and vertebrae. Parts of the spine violate their natural location, shift from the correct position, thereby causing a predisposition to protrusions and hernias.
The displacement of the vertebra provokes the muscles of the spine to create tension in order to keep the spine in an upright position. A kind of corset is created that maintains the integrity of the spine.
With incorrect loads on the ridge, the disc nucleus is pushed through. Pinched nerve roots signal with pain that there is a problem. Before that, painful sensations might not have arisen.
The lumbar deflection is strengthened, which contributes to even more pressure on the nerve and an increase in the painful signal. There is a change in posture. If a rupture of the fibrous membrane of the disc is observed, then this tissue fills the gaps between them and in the future, salt deposition is possible here.
Clinical manifestations
- Disorders in the spine in most cases manifest themselves as a reflex syndrome. Pathological factors in the ridge irritate pain receptors and provoke reflex tension in the muscles – spasm. A vicious circle is created: the pain intensifies the spasm, and the spasm intensifies the pain.
- Compression syndrome occurs when disturbances are caused by pressure from bone growths, hernias, or protrusions on the spinal cord, nerve roots, or blood vessels.
Myofascial pain in dorsopathy
If painful sensations in the muscles arose from hypothermia or overstrain, and not as a result of disorders in the ridge, then they are called myofascial pains.
When examining by palpation, you can find a spasmodic muscle and painful points on its surface.
Diagnostics
When examining the disease, listen to the patient’s complaints. A neurologist examines pain manifestations, spinal deformities and areas with spasmodic muscles.
Computed tomography will give detailed information about the problems of the skeletal system. Magnetic resonance imaging will provide a picture of the condition of hard and soft tissues. Diagnostics will help to correctly determine the complex of medical procedures.
Treatment of the disease in the acute stage
In the acute stage of the disease, the patient is recommended:
- Limit physical activity as much as possible (bed rest).
- Taking pain medications, more often these are non-steroidal drugs. They relieve inflammation, relieve pain and swelling of tissues. In the acute phase, for a quick effect, drugs are usually taken in the form of injections. At the same time, the doctor may recommend the application of an anti-inflammatory ointment to the focus of the problem.
- If necessary, muscle relaxants are prescribed.
- If the actions taken do not bring relief, the patient is given a blockade with the use of pain relievers and steroids.
At this stage, the main task is to relieve pain and inflammation in order to proceed to a comprehensive treatment of the problem, taking into account the causes of the disease.
In cases of threat of disability due to excessive compression of the spinal cord, nerve or artery, surgical intervention is performed .
How to treat in remission?
The course of taking non-steroidal drugs in the form of tablets and ointments is continued. To improve the condition of the connective tissues, it is recommended to take chondroprotectors and vitamin preparations. At this stage, the doctor prescribes physiotherapy procedures.
A comprehensive program may include:
- therapeutic exercises,
- manual procedures,
- acupuncture,
- magnetotherapy,
- swimming,
- underwater shower,
- laser therapy,
- traction treatment (traction).
- Shown in most cases massage. This is the effect on the muscles using different techniques:
- stroking,
- vibration,
- pressure,
- friction.
Such actions improve blood circulation, relieve or relieve muscle pain, strengthen the muscle corset, and relieve tension.